A Different* Take on Bags

* Not really that different.  

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

It's time to announce the true identity of the Purple Pack Lady as my lovely and extremely hardworking wife, Ophelia, aka Ophie. She doesn't have any online presence, anywhere, so there is nothing to follow. With that out of the way, on to the real post.

Get Home Bag Preps

Ophie's daughter now lives in a snowy winter area that is also subject to wildfires, which was at first blamed on climate change but in fact has now been shown to be 50% arson at a minimum. The better news is that the closest forested areas are several hours drive away for her town, and there's another saving factor in that  her work is in the entire opposite direction of the forested areas that might possibly burn. While her distance from the fire areas is nice, power lines have been down from fire damage, and the house has been dark for several hours on several different days.

I did send the duplicate bag I made for Ophie to her daughter, but due to slightly different conditions than here, we have modified it quite a bit. This post was what was I did to address the specific differences. Since she is now settled and not going to move any time soon, she needs to start making preps for home and at work.

Stranded at Work

Since her work is in a relatively large city, being without food isn't the issue, but sleeping/staying at work  could be hard if the snow is bad. Her mother and I both have scolded her for trying to get home in bad weather, so her plans are now to stay put, which means either keeping sleeping gear in the car or stowing it at the office. 

My suggestion was to keep it at work, since the decision not to head home will be made there and that slightly more bulky items could be used. Keeping even more preps in her car means buying smaller and lighter, and therefore more expensive  items designed for backpacking. I've sent her links to what I recommend, as the stores I use aren't the same as there and Amazon is different as well.

Stuck at Home

This can get expensive either quickly or slowly, depending on how you want to look at things. As she lives in a rental and not her own place, the recommendation for me is to keep it simple and spend money slowly. Culturally, being prepared for both emergencies as well as hospitality is built into her; I've never gone to visit anyone from her culture without being offered twice the food that I eat for a similar meal and having food to take with me when going home. 

Storing slightly more of the basics in water-resistant containers, like a trash can with a tight-fitting lid, is what I suggested. I can't seem to find an inexpensive source for 5 gallon food-grade pails and lids in her area, so those are something to find later. I did find the local equivalent to these Ozark Trail 6-Gal Water Storage Jugs for her.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-6-Gal-Water-Storage-Jug/16537207

From Walmart's website:

• Traditional jerry can design
• Heavy-duty plastic construction
• BPA-free water jug is safe for storing household water supply
• Ozark Trail 6-gal water jug has a spout system
• Angled handle for 2-handed gripping
• Easy to lift and pour
• 6-gal capacity can keep 1 person hydrated for a week in an emergency situation
• Keep in your vehicle as part of a supply kit
• Ideal for camping and hunting

I have similar jugs purchased form Walmart and other places. I like the fact that they will nest well together, and aren't so heavy at 6 gallons that they can't be lifted by shorter and slightly-built people. My suggestion was to start with buying 1-2 per person for cooking and 1-2 per person for sanitation. The chances for a longer outage are fairly remote, so this should be a decent starting point.

Cooking

This is an easy one, since grilling is a way of life for her and if there isn't a charcoal BBQ close, something is really wrong! There is a Solo Stove in her GHB which I hope will never be needed, but is there just in case. I do recommend keeping an eye on the Solo Stove Home Page for sales, as that is where I made a great buy on 2 Solo Lites several years ago. 

Recap and Takeaway

• Check in with friends and family to see if circumstances have changed, either at home or travel related. That could change what you carry or store.
• Dealing with folks that have a history planning for disaster makes prepping so much easier!
• Nothing was purchased by me for this post.

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If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.